


what a wonderful way to burn

by mygif2u



Category: Charlie's Angels (2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Massage, Mentor/Protégé, There's a female OC in this but she doesn't appear much except to stir shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27237706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mygif2u/pseuds/mygif2u
Summary: Elena is on the cusp of becoming a Townsend Angel when a rumour that she is sleeping with Bosley surfaces. It comes a month before their final assessments are set to begin, just as she is topping all her classes in training.Elena really should be used to it by now, having people try to undermine her success, and attribute her achievements to everything but her hard work. It's different this time around though, when it's not just her place at Townsend on the line, but her heart too.
Relationships: Rebekah Bosley/Elena Houghlin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	what a wonderful way to burn

**Author's Note:**

> What do you do when you've got writer's block for one fic? You write another of course!
> 
> This was meant to be more fluffy than it is, and probably ended up being a bit OOC, but hope you enjoy it anyway.

_Thwump._

_Thwump._

_Thwump._

Elena gritted her teeth as she laid blow after blow on the training dummy in front of her. She'd lost track of how long she'd been hitting the damn thing, but she knew it was late.

That in itself wasn't new; Elena had always been one to go above and beyond with anything she applied herself to, whether that was working on elaborate experiments to win her school science fairs, or holing herself up in the library at MIT for midnight study sessions. Or more recently, pushing her body at the gym further than she'd ever had to make the grade as a Townsend Angel.

What _was_ new was the burning tightness in her chest that had driven her from her bed and into the gym's boxing ring. A tightness that felt like a knife digging into her lungs, something that she could only ignore by pummeling the ever-living shit out of a human-sized chunk of plastisol. A chunk of plastisol that wore the face of one Eva Johnson, the very reason for her late-night workout.

Really, Elena should be used to it by now, having her skills, her knowledge, her _success_ , belittled, or attributed to everything but her hard work. She should be used to earning the envy of her peers, and the disdain of her superiors, instead of the connection and respect that she craved from them. After all, she had been one of two female engineering graduates from her MIT cohort, and the only woman at Brok who had worked on the Calisto project.

But Eva implying that she was only still at the Agency because she was sleeping with the boss, no _the_ Boz, broke something inside of her in a way that no backhanded compliment or sexist comment had ever done before.

_Thwump._

_Thwump._

Elena cursed as her latest strike glanced off the training dummy. She knew, could _feel_ , her strikes slowing and muscles shaking, could feel the time she took to land each hit grow longer. She wasn't going to let up in her intensity though, even with fatigue weighing on her entire body. She knew she should probably call it a night (or was it morning now?), but she wasn't going to stop and let Eva fucking Johnson throw her off her training. No, she would show her, and everyone else, that not only did she have the right to be there, but that she was going to make a damn good Angel.

If she couldn't keep working on her speed, then she would have to work on her technique.

Yeah, that was it.

If an elbow strike executed with a perfectly timed snap of the hips was going to impress Bosley enough to give Elena a score that would earn her those Wings, then so be it. If that was what she needed to do so Bosley would pay more attention to her than the other recruits, then so be it. If that was what she needed to do so Bosley would look at her the way she looked at Bosley then -

A choked sound tore from Elena, and the tears that were suddenly blurring her vision meant that her last swing at the training dummy missed entirely. Her momentum carried her forward, and she had just enough wherewithal to grab at the dummy before crashing to the floor of the boxing ring.

Sobs wracked Elena's slightly frame, letting the sharpness in her chest be expelled with each shuddering exhale. All her life she had thrown herself into everything she had set her mind to, and it only ever earned her resentment and rejection. Schoolmates she had counted as friends had turned their backs on her when she was awarded first place ribbons and medals, college classmates she had bonded with refused to work with her after finding out she was topping all their classes, and colleagues at Brok she'd been nothing but supportive of would take credit for _her_ prototypes _they_ had never been able to work.

She thought it would have been different when she came to Townsend - after all, Sabina and Jane had accepted her, nerd jokes aside. But they were hardly at HQ often enough to count, too busy saving the world to spend much time keeping Elena company. And Bosley - well, that was the only reason she even gave her the time of day wasn't it?

The idea that this woman, who had seen and done so much, who had lived such a colourful life, would take any interest in her outside of how quickly she could defuse a bomb, or commandeer an aeroplane, was outrageous. And while they may have spent a number of lunchtimes and between training catch-ups together, sharing things that they - or Elena at least - didn't share with anyone else, Elena knew it was something Bosley did with all the recruits.

On top of all of that, they had been told, in no uncertain terms, that being involved with anyone from the Agency during their training was forbidden. Anyone breaking that rule would face disciplinary action, up to and including, both parties being kicked out of Townsend. Even if Bosley did feel the same - which Elena was sure she didn't - there was no way they would be able to do anything about it.

So Elena really didn't know where Eva got the idea that Bosley would give her any special treatment, or that there was anything more happening between them. No matter how much she wanted there to be.

\--

Elena laid there for what could have been seconds, or hours. All she knew was that it was still dark when her breathing evened out, and the tear tracks had dried on her cheeks. The tightness in her chest had at one point been released, leaving her feeling raw and ragged.

Elena closed her eyes and breathed out a long sigh as she realised what she had to do. She couldn't let herself be turned inside out like this. If she wanted to stick around long enough to actually get her Wings and take her place as a Townsend Angel, then she needed to ignore the petty bullshit Eva wanted to start with her. And, she needed to free herself of the hold Bosley had over her.

The first part wouldn't be too hard; she'd had plenty of practice brushing off other people's jealousy when it came to pursuing her goals.

The second part Elena wasn't so sure about. She wouldn't be able to help the draw she had to Bosley, had felt it the moment she'd seen the other woman step out of that sleek Audi at the beginning of all this. Elena clearly wasn't going to be able to hide it either, if people like Eva were picking up on it. All she could really do was keep clear of Bosley until she was inducted as an Angel. By then she would be posted somewhere around the world, far from HQ, and wouldn't need to see Bosley again outside of the odd mission or two.

Elena felt her stomach sink at the thought but pushed it aside. She needed to do this, for both their sakes.

With that decided, Elena shifted to prop herself up on her elbows, wincing in pain at the movement. She could feel all the aches in her muscles that her earlier adrenaline had numbed her to, and she groaned when she remembered that she was scheduled for more physical training in just a few hours. She should probably catch the sleep where she could, and while she hated the thought of trudging back to her room, she hated the thought of being caught out cold at the gym even more.

Forcing her leaden-weighted limbs to cooperate, Elena managed to roll over and crawl to the edge of the ring when the voice of the last person she wanted to be seen by rang out.

"Elena?"

Elena froze. Turning to face the entrance to the gym, Elena saw Bosley, concern radiating from every inch of her. It seemed like she'd just come back from a job, if the beaten up boots, grass-stained overalls and loose bun were any indication. It was quite unlike any other time she got to see Bosley; her hard edges seem to have been smoothed out now that she wasn't in her fresh-off-the-runway threads or Townsend issued training gear. Elena couldn't help but think that she liked seeing Bosley like this.

As the other woman approached closer, Elena blinked twice, hoping her eyes weren't still as puffy as they felt. At least her nose had stopped running.

"Hi."

Elena cringed at the way that one word croaked out, and Bosley's frown deepened in response.

"I don't think I've ever seen you here this late."

Elena tried to think of an answer that wouldn't sound trite, but her tired mind couldn't come up with anything convincing. Instead, she sent Bosley a smile that she hoped looked relaxed. "How do you know I'm not just early?"

"Because it's 3 am, and you look dead on your feet, Houghlin."

Elena opened her mouth to rebut her, but instead huffed out a sigh. It was no use trying to lie or mislead Bosley. Elena had done it before, and had always ended up getting called out on it.

"Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."

Elena balked at that. On any other night, she would have jumped at the chance to spend a bit more time with Bosley. But with Eva's words, and her own decision to avoid Bosley so fresh in her mind, she hesitated. "I'd like to, Bosley, but people will talk - "

"I don't care, I'm not leaving you like this, Elena."

Despite herself, Elena felt a flutter in her chest. Something about Bosley's insistence to accompany her that night, after what must have been a gruelling mission - as the exhaustion in her eyes gave away - made Elena want to accept, her earlier determination to stay away from the other woman be damned.

She took in Bosley's resolute expression and inhaled a deep breath. She hoped she wasn't about to make a big mistake.

"Ok."

A brief flash of relief seemed to pass over Bosley's face, and she acknowledged Elena's response with a small upturn of the lips.

Elena ducked under the ropes around the ring and walked towards Bosley. Her heart nearly jumped as Bosley's hand came to rest on her shoulder. It was something Bosley had done many times before, and Elena knew the warm weight was meant to be comforting, but the events of the last 12 hours had left her feeling slightly off kilter, and so she couldn't help tensing at the touch. It disappeared a moment after, and she felt a pang in her gut at the loss.

The walk to Elena's room was done in silence, and she tried to ignore the worried looks she could sense Bosley giving her. She refused to let Bosley catch her eye in the moonlight that filtered through the windows of Townsend's halls; the tips she'd learned in masking facial expressions during those Body Language training sessions might fool most other people, but not Bosley. Apart from having far more experience than her at both reading and concealing emotions, Bosley had known her for long enough to still be able to read her like a book.

Though Elena knew that turning her literal cheek would only make Bosley even more concerned and suspicious, that was better than her seeing the storm of emotions that were swirling across Elena's face. Anything to keep her from piecing together the real reason Elena was up that night.

As they reached the door to Elena's room, she prepared to bid Bosley good night when the other woman spoke up first.

"Elena."

She winced internally. It had been too much to hope that Bosley would let her retreat into her room without addressing her less than receptive behaviour. Elena braced herself for whatever admonishment, pep-talk, or direction to get psychoanalysed by Saint that Bosley was about to give her.

"Mhm?"

"If you were in there for as long as I think you were, then you're going to need a massage before your muscles seize up tomorrow."

Elena's brain skittered to a stop. Whatever she had been expecting from Bosley, it was not that; no _way_ was Bosley suggesting what Elena thought she was saying.

She could hear the blood roar in her ears at the thought of Bosley's hands on her skin, kneading the aches out of her muscles until she was utterly boneless. Elena wasn't sure she would be able to handle it, let alone with her fragile, sleep-deprived mind. Even without her newfound decision to forget all about Bosley, it just sounded like a terrible (heavenly) idea. Besides, she was getting ahead of herself, it wasn't like Bosley had specified _she_ would be giving the massage.

"Oh, ah, you don't have to worry about me, Boz. I'll just take a hot bath and let Saint fix me up in the morning."

"He's not here, he's gone to tend to a few Angels working on a mission in Seoul."

Ok, so in that case Bosley _had_ insinuated that she would be giving Elena a massage. Elena's realisation of that fact must have shown on her face as Bosley continued, "Look, you don't have to. Either way, I don't think you're gonna be in great shape in the morning - this will just make it suck a little less."

Elena frowned, torn at the decision she was presented with.

On the one hand, Bosley was right; she was going to be in a world of hurt tomorrow. Anything that would alleviate that could mean the difference between making it through the obstacle course at training, and not moving from her bed until the early afternoon. With their final assessment only a month away, she couldn't afford to miss any classes.

On the other hand, there were eyes everywhere at Townsend; if it got out that a Bosley was seen going in and out of a recruit's room in the early hours of the morning, they could both lose everything they had worked so hard for.

And - potential expulsion aside - Elena just couldn't let Bosley see her like that, couldn't expose herself more than she already had that night, not if she wanted to get over her at least. She didn't want to break her own heart again, no matter how tempting Bosley made it for her.

So Elena tried, one more time, to push Bosley away - to spare her the trouble, and Elena herself, the heartache.

"That's nice of you to offer, Bosley, but I don't want to make you miss any of your classes or meetings tomorrow."

The concern etched into Bosley's face gave way to a tenderness that made Elena's breath catch.

"I'll take care of those. For now, Elena, let me take care of you."

Elena felt emotion well up in her throat. No-one had ever said anything like that to her before, and the sincerity in Bosley's tone and the affection in her eyes made Elena look away.

If Bosley was going to put it like that, then Elena wasn't going to refuse her again. Feeling apprehension and something else weighing in her gut, she stepped aside and let Bosley into her room.

Elena's heart thundered in her chest as she followed Bosley inside, closing the door behind them. Her unease grew as Bosley took in the mess that was her normally tidy room - study notes that were usually filed away were stacked haphazardly on her desk; her bed cover laid on the floor from where she had tossed it, frustrated with not being able to sleep; and her pyjamas hung on her desk chair from when she'd thrown them off to slip on her workout clothes and head to the gym.

Elena couldn't gauge what the other woman was thinking, and that, plus the fact that _Bosley_ was in _her room_ , pushed Elena to the verge of freaking out.

"Um, Boz, I'm all sweaty and gross, so I'm just going to get cleaned up and - "

"Elena," Bosley cut in.

"Yes?"

"On the bed. Now."

Elena's cheeks flushed; she wouldn't deny that she had dreamt those words from Bosley under very different circumstances. For the sake of her sanity, though, she brushed that aside and moved to comply, laying face down on her bed. Trepidation crept into her as Bosley settled beside her.

"Alright, I'm going to start on your shoulders and upper back, then will move down to your lumbar. Is that ok with you?"

Elena nodded, then realised Bosley couldn't see the gesture. Instead she uttered a muffled "Yes."

Elena tried to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine as Bosley laid her hands on her shoulder blades.

"Just relax."

_Easy for her to say,_ Elena thought. She breathed out lowly before uttering a quiet "Ok."

Bosley got to work then, kneading at the knots near her shoulder blades with precision. Elena almost let out a quiet groan at the sensations. Each squeeze and release of her muscles sent tingling waves down to the tips of her fingers and toes, and she sunk further into her bed under Bosley's touch. She had no idea if being an excellent masseuse was part of the Angels' skill set, or if it was just Bosley, but Elena could feel herself unravelling in the most exquisite way. Stroke by stroke, Bosley soothed her frayed nerves and aching body.

Silence descended between them as Bosley continued her ministrations, the quiet broken only by Elena's slowed breathing. Her mind had gone foggy from the utter bliss that Bosley was bringing her, and the warmth from Bosley's hands lulled her closer and closer to sleep. Just when Elena felt herself about to drift off, Bosley's voice spoke up.

"So, do you want to tell me why you were at the gym so late?"

All at once, Bosley's words were like ice pouring down Elena's spine, and her eyes snapped open.

"I -", Elena wavered, " - was working on my form."

"Does that usually involve bursting into tears?"

Elena stiffened. The hands on her back slowed and the pressure from them lightened. The weight of them still remained though, and as they continued to rove over Elena, she would almost dare say it was like a caress.

"Your eyes were still red, darling."

Elena swallowed hard. Well, there was no point trying to hide it anymore.

Elena pushed herself up to a sitting position on her bed, and as she did so, Bosley's hands drifted until one of them was resting on Elena's shoulder. Elena felt no need to shrug her off this time.

"Eva," Elena began, before stopping to gather herself. Bosley's thumb started gently rubbing circles into Elena's skin, and the contact helped Elena muster up her next words, "Eva said the only reason I've been getting good scores in training is because we're sleeping together."

The hand on Elena's shoulder stilled at the admission. As though that was the sign Elena had been waiting for, words rushed from her mouth like the bursting of a dam.

"Which is stupid, because it's not like you're into me like that; I'm not even sure if you're into _women_ like that. I mean, I don't even know your real _name_ \- "

"Elena."

Elena stopped her babbling at Bosley's interruption, and looked away in shame. She felt Bosley place her fingers under her chin, and she tried to avoid meeting Bosley's gaze as she was guided to face the other woman.

"You know I'm not the only one assessing your progress."

Elena _did_ know that, and she knew _Eva_ knew that - the Agency had been pretty straightforward with the recruits about that part of the assessment process. It made Eva's accusation all the more ridiculous. What Elena didn't understand was why _Bosley_ was telling her this.

"All the other Bosleys involved in your training have given really good feedback on you, and though I'm friendly with some of them, none of them would give you a score you didn't earn."

Oh. That was why.

"But I don't think what Eva said came out of nowhere."

Elena's heart jumped in her throat. So there it was. The unspoken question in all of this. As much as Elena may not have wanted it to be true, Bosley had to know the answer, right? A woman with that much experience had to have seen Elena's eagerness to see her and spend time with her, and have drawn the conclusion Elena had been trying to hide for months now. Or, if she didn't know - which Elena found difficult to believe - then she was fishing for the answer. Elena gulped.

"I mean, she's had it out for me for weeks."

"She could have done anything else to mess with you, Elena, so why this? She's jealous, yes, but not stupid. She wouldn't make a claim like that unless - ," Bosley paused, " - it was even half believable."

Elena felt her stomach sink like a stone. So she did know. Really, it had been stupid of Elena to even consider otherwise.

Bosley reached out and took Elena's hand in hers, but even with the steady grip that tethered them to each other, Elena felt like she was about to topple over the edge of a cliff.

"Look, this is my fault. I thought I had better control, and it got taken out on you."

The anxiety that had started to churn in Elena's stomach lessened slightly, and her brow furrowed in confusion. Bosley sounded almost...apologetic. But over what?

Her mind ticked over, seeking an explanation, as Bosley continued on, "We're not supposed to have favourites, but I -"

She faltered then, and looked away. It confused Elena even more, and she found herself getting a little bit worried. Bosley seemed _nervous_ , and in the entire time Elena had known her, this was the first time she had ever seen Bosley like this. It was the first time she seemed unsure - about anything.

"I'm a bit soft on you Elena...softer than I should be."

The meaning of Bosley's words don't sink in at first. Bosley had always scored her fairly during her training, and never shied away from giving direct and honest feedback, even if it wasn't always what she wanted to hear. But as Elena took in the stiffness that had set into Bosley's posture, and the hushed way she had said those last few words, as though they were directed at herself rather than Elena, she realised Bosley wasn't talking about her grades.

It made something shift in Elena's mind, made her re-evaluate every interaction she ever had with Bosley, from their first meeting on the outskirts of Hamburg, to that very moment in Elena's bedroom. How Bosley would seek her out all the time, more so than for any of the other recruits. How it would be Bosley's perfume that lingered in the blankets Elena would find herself draped under when she woke up in the library after some late night studying. How Bosley would risk her place at Townsend if it meant making sure Elena was ok. It was enough to give Elena hope, no matter how slight, and it made her feel brave.

She took a deep breath, before she leaned further into Bosley's space, stopping just a hair's breadth apart from her. Elena desperately wanted to close the distance between them, but she had to be sure Bosley felt the same, that she wanted this just as much as Elena did.

Tension crackled in the air between as they sat, unmoving. The spark of Elena's earlier bravery faded as the moment stretched on, and she flushed red with embarrassment at Bosley's inaction. What was she thinking? Bosley had been part of Townsend for so long, had worked so hard to become the first Angel to be promoted to Bosleyhood. There was no way she would risk losing that over a lovestruck recruit, even if she did feel the same.

Trying to ignore the sting of her rejection, Elena murmured an apology, and was about to pull away when the other woman surged forward, pressing her lips to Elena's.

Every thought that Elena had fizzled out of her mind. She must be dreaming, must really have fallen asleep in that boxing ring, since there was no way this was actually happening, no way Bosley was _actually_ kissing her. But as Bosley's lips moved against hers, and her fingertips brushed the shell of Elena's ear as she drew her closer, Elena realised she was very much awake, and that maybe she hadn't been alone with her feelings after all.

Bosley pulled away abruptly then, and Elena followed after her for just a moment, before she was stopped by Bosley's hand on her chest. She avoided Elena's gaze as she stood from the bed.

"I should go."

Elena nodded mutely, feeling bereft of Bosley's warmth. That confirmed it; Elena had wondered, but now she knew for sure that Bosley had ruined her for anyone else. Now that she had a taste of her, Elena didn't think she would be getting over her any time soon, if ever.

"Good night, Bosley."

Bosley walked to the edge of the room before she stopped by the door. Placing one hand on the door frame, Bosley turned slightly to face Elena with an unreadable look.

"Rebekah."

That one word left Bosley at just above a whisper, and Elena almost didn't pick up on it. But she did, and Elena swallowed thickly, not daring to believe what Bosley had just said.

"What?"

A long moment passed then, long enough that Elena thought Bosley would just leave without answering, when she turned more fully to face Elena. The new angle allowed her to see the softness returning to Bosley's eyes, and Elena could feel warmth rising in her chest even before Bosley spoke again.

"My name. It's Rebekah."

Elena closed her eyes to take in those three syllables, committing them to memory, and attaching them to the woman who had been on her mind for months. No, there was _definitely_ no way Elena would be getting over her. When she opened her eyes again, Bosley was gone.

Elena sighed, and flopped back down on to her bed.

There would be time to worry about the implications of what they had just done, and what Bosley had just shared with her, in the morning. It was highly likely that their days at Townsend were now numbered, but Elena found that the thought did not pain her as much as she would have expected. Whatever happened, Boz would take care of her, and she knew, if the opportunity ever presented itself, Elena would do the same in return.

For the first time that evening, she smiled.

"Good night, Rebekah."

**Author's Note:**

> No promises here, but I _may_ do a second part from Bosley's POV. Thoughts?


End file.
